This Female Linebacker Knows How To Harmonize Her Passions

Cayleigh Kunnmann is living all of our high school dreams. A linebacker on Bay Shore High's football team and an accomplished cellist, she's never let someone else's boundaries define her choices or temper her passions. She was raised in a football household (we can tell, since her dad adorably saved the newspaper articles spotlighting her role on the squad), but she's also discovered the complimentary challenge of mastering a musical instrument. While Cayleigh turns to football for its obvious physical demands, she finds excelling at cello, with its fluid movements and arrangements, even more difficult than tackling teammates. We love that she's breaking all those tired teenage stereotypes that say you have to choose a string instrument bow or a muddy football; Cayleigh proves the only divide is how hard you're willing to work for success, in any field. We also love that she's expanding the range of positions traditionally given to female athletes, though Cayleigh puts it best when she says, "I'm going to force them to treat me the same, because I'm just as capable."